Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

Empowerment and a strengths perspective which support the development of innate abilities and recognize differences in a positive manner are also helping social workers increase the individual clients capacity to learn to use his or her own systems constructively

More than a simple linguistic nuance, the notion that social workers do not empower others, but instead, help people empower themselves is an ontological distinction that frames the reality experienced by both social workers and clients (Simon, 1990, p. 32, quoted in Saleeby, 2006, p. 98)

Introduction: This paper firstly looks at empowerment, what it is, and how it can assist social workers in enhancing their clients competence through development of self-efficacy, mastery, and their ability to use their own resources (both inner and outer) in a productive and beneficial manner. The paper then looks at the Strengths Perspective and how social workers can use this lens to assist clients in re-framing their sense of self, and therefore enhance their clients capacity for self-determination. The paper then looks at empowerment and the Strengths Perspective in action, through the utilization of Solution Focused theory.

In this paper it is argued that the action of empowerment is fundamental to the application of a strengths perspective. It is also argued that a positive recognition of difference, such as for those experiencing mental health issues, or who may be gay or lesbian for example, can assist clients in normalizing their lived experience.

Empowerment: Empowerment is both a theory and a practice. It is also a process as well as an outcome (Zimmerman, 1995; Gutierrez, DeLois and GlenMaye, 1995; Carr, E.S., 2003).

The practice of empowerment grew out of the womens and black rights movements of the United States in the late 60s/70s where it was recognised that these two powerless/oppressed groups did not have equal access to human services. This had a negative effect both at the level of the individual and at the level of the institution of the family, which meant that the impaired systems [were] unable to shield individuals from the negative effects of the oppressive institutions (Gutierrez et al, 1995, p. 534), thereby self-perpetuating the oppressed state of those, and other subjegated, groups.

The goal of empowerment is to increase personal, interpersonal or political power, so that individuals, families or communities can take action to improve their situation (Gutierrez et al, 1995, p. 535) Australian examples of empowered communities would include the Womens Electoral Lobby and the Tent Embassy, also developing in the 1970s for example This goal means an increase in the actual power of the client or community [as opposed to their coping with, or adaptation to, the dominant paradigm] so that action can be taken [by them] to prevent or change the problems they are facing (Gutierrez et al, 1995, p. 535). A crucial aim of empowerment is therefore enhancing the possibilities for people to control their own lives (Rappapport, 1981, p. 15) and augmenting their sense of self-determination.

The process of empowerment, involves the development of consciousness consciousness raising/conscientization, and psychological empowerment (Carr, 2003, p. 15; Zimmerman 1995) facilitating a reduction in self-blame, an assumption of personal responsibility for change, and enhancement of self-efficacy (Gutierrez et al, 1995, p. 535). Empowerment also involves the understanding by oppressed people that the nature of their oppression is structural and systemic and is not self-inflicted (Cowger, Anderson & Snively, 2006). Further, empowerment involves a commitment to challenging and combating injustice (Pease, 2002, p. 136, quoting Ward and Mullender).

Consciousness raising, practiced by many a feminist in the 1970s for example, is learning about, and increasing ones self awareness of, their individual social fit within...

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Empowerment and Strengths-Based Perspective: Social Work

Author, Psychotherapist, Workshop Leader, Pianist

The message that runs through all of Charlottes books and workshops is that of empowermentto find your authentic voice, trust your internal wisdom, open yourself to new learning and understand yourself and others within a cultural context. Her 16-step Empowerment Model introduced in Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the Twelve Steps, offers a holistic, wellness approach for overcoming addiction, trauma and depression. It has been adopted throughout the Unites States and Canada.

Charlotte engages people in her books and workshops by intertwining psychology, feminism, sociology, Buddhism, Quaker teachings and other spiritual traditions. She is able to make complex ideas clear and easy to grasp. She presents material in a warm, compassionate, often humorous manner, involving the participants and making the materials at once personally accessible and applicable to everyday situations. Her books have been translated into 24 languages and have approximately 800,000 copies in print.

I wear the hat of psychotherapist, author, and teacher, but at my core, I am a peace and social justice activist. I believe the starting place for healing the planet is in our hearts and in the ways we practice respect, empathy, and understanding in all human relationships, including our relationship to ourselves. Ultimately our personal growth and empowerment are expressed through helping restore justice, peace and balance on the planet and coming to the deep awareness that we are one earth, one people.

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Charlotte Kasl

Hello and welcome to Bodies of Empowerment Personal Training! My name is Nate McConnell - I'm a personal fitness trainer and weight loss expert with over 18 years of personal training experience throughout the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas. Here at Bodies of Empowerment, we offer a Complete Fitness Solution! We not only train you, we teach you how to eat properly through our Nutritional Consulting services. While other personal trainers simply provide you with vague tips, we go the extra mile in helping you design a healthy meal plan that includes foods you love! In short, we not only make reaching your goals realistic and attainable, we teach you how to eat and exercise for life!

If you are just looking for a trainer to take you through the motions and count reps, you are seriously selling yourself short! What makes us different? We truly invest in your life! Our clients are like family to us. You will never be treated like a number here! You can trade time for money anywhere (workouts for dollars). If youre just looking for the cheapest option in town, we are not the right fit for you! The first step is to meet with us for a free consultation. It is then, we are able to factor your budget into this process, allowing us to find the best training program for you! If you truly want to change your life and regain control over your health and fitness, then we welcome you to our family! You are home.

Whether you are just getting started, have little experience, or want to take your progress to the next level, our services provide everything you need to reach your personal goals! Why spend countless hours in the gym with little to no return for your efforts? Eliminate years of trial and error. Stop wasting time and energy on routines and diets that dont work and begin making changes now with our proven system!

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Bodies of Empowerment Personal Training

Our Personal Empowerment Coach Certification is designed for the woman who is either ready to launch her coaching business or is already an expert in her chosen field and would love to add Certified Personal Empowerment Coach to her resume.

This self-paced program will give you the fastest yet most comprehensive training to help shift your clients out of any disempowered situation into making healthy, authentic, appropriate choices.

Throughout this course, you will work closely with Professor Izabela Viskupova, L.L.M., M.A., and The S.W.A.T. Institutes Founder, Crystal Andrus Morissette, in receiving all the the practical and theoretical guidance youll need in order to fully master your coaching skills.

Professor Izabela graduated with a Masters degree in Law at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Later, she earned another Masters degree in Psychology, from the University of Glasgow, Scotland; she also holds a Certificate in Person-Centred Counselling from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and is a Master Empowerment Coach certified by The S.W.A.T. Institute.

Our Personal Empowerment Coach Certification is composed of three modules:

The learning objective of the first module is to introduce the students to Empowerment Coaching and the basic tools of this specific coaching method. In this module, students will be invited to master the basic framework of Empowerment Coaching which includes:

This module takes the students in detail through the most crucial emotional levels on the Map of Empowerment such as Shame, Guilt, Apathy, Grief, Fear and Anger, while offering specific coaching strategies and interventions for each of these levels.

Module One offers a vast opportunity for the students to listen to practical examples of real life coaching sessions, which is an invaluable component of the program. Also included are video lectures on each emotional level, one live weekly call where students can chat with Professor Izabela, and a private Facebook Group for fellow student empowerment coaches to share, connect, and support each other.

Nearing the end of this module, students will also be introduced to the concept of Emotional Age (EA), which is the basis of Crystal Andrus Morissettes upcoming book, The Emotional Edge (Random House Publishing, December 29, 2015).

The objective of the second module is to build on the foundations laid out in Module One so that the students can further hone and expand their coaching skills.

This module also incorporates some of the more general topics in coaching such as how to structure the coaching sessions or how to build rapport with a client.

The aim of Module Two is also to prepare the students for some unexpected or more challenging circumstances in coaching such as coaching a client with a different cultural background or a client that has just lost someone they loved.

At the end of this module, students are invited to participate in the 12-Week TeleCourse: The Emotional Edge taught by Crystal Andrus Morissette in order to integrate their learnings, personally. Completion of the 12-Week TeleCourse is not mandatory in graduating with your Personal Empowerment Coach Certification.

The objective of the last module is to have the students do their own coaching and practice all the skills and techniques they have learned throughout the course while coaching their own clients. The clients will be provided by The S.W.A.T. Institute through the Mentorship Program that enables women from any part of the world to get free coaching. This is a beautiful opportunity for our students to hone their coaching skills.

Section 1: What you need to do to start your Practice Coaching

The objective of this section is to cover the logistics side of the coaching practice so that the coaches in training have everything set up and ready before they start their practice coaching.

Section 2: The Critique session

As soon as students have completed approximately half of their practice sessions (10-15 practice session), they select three of their calls and submit them to their Professor of Coaching who will review them and schedule a critique session with them. The objective of the critique session is to give them feedback on how they have been doing thus far.

Section 3: Final Exam Assignment

The objective of the Final Exam is to put everything together for the students both the practical as well as the theoretical side of the training. In order to do that, they are required to:

A new generation of women has emerged and I feel honored to be part of it. Unique women who have come together under a common call: to thrust the world forward while birthing a brighter humanity.

I proudly belong to a tribe of visionaries. They may call us insane, rebels, inspirational, powerful masters, guides or coaches we call ourselves: Simply Woman Accredited Trainers!

~ Loredana Thoenig

Every Tuesday, Crystal Andrus Morissette answers your questions and offers you strategies to your own challenges during a live call! You can write in or chat with her directly on the phone or Skype. Plus, you have two other opportunities each week to chat live with Professor Izabela and our Student Advisors! No matter where you live in the world, you will feel like you are close by, connected to, and supported by our entire institute. We are women empowering women!

Our Mentorship Coaches have all graduated from their Empowerment Coach Training at The S.W.A.T. Institute and are beginning to build their own coaching practice. Before they can graduate they must complete 30 practice hours. Our coaches have spent countless hours learning the empowerment process and this is the perfect way for them to refine their skills while women around the world get the support and empowerment they need at no charge. Its a true giveback and a beautiful win-win! Plus, our Mentorship Coaching Program offers our students and graduates lifelong coaching at no charge. Thats right! You have a slew of brilliant coaches at your fingertips, whenever you need a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or some kick-ass advice! Click here to learn more!

One of the most unique and special aspects of The S.W.A.T. Institute is our private forum where our students or as we call them siSTARs connect with, share, care, and support each other. No matter what is going on in their lives, each woman gets the loving advice, feedback, validation, and support she needs. We truly are a global coalition of empowered women!

Our five-day, full money-back guarantee allows you to take your time once you register to be certain this program is right for you!

Check out the extraordinary video testimonials sent in to us from some of our graduates!

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Personal Empowerment Coach Certification - The S.W.A.T ...

Authentic Empowerment: Giving to one's self the giftofconnecting to our true being.

We are a dynamic Life Coaching practice located in Sydney that will help you achieve what you are striving for in your life.

Our society is fast-paced and it is easy to lose sight of what you really want in life. That is why more and more people are turning to life coaching to help clarify their professional and personal values, purpose and goals. We will provide you with a unique performance coaching experience and are highly skilled in assisting you to make radical improvements in your life.

Our coaching program is a solution-focused process incorporating awareness tools and honest conversations. You are empowered to strive outside of your comfort zone, design your ideal lifestyle and start living the life you love!

How will Life Coachinghelp me? Our Life Coaching Programs. Want to know if Life Coaching is for you? Take our easy Self Assessment by clicking here. Life Coaching FAQ

Infertility can make women - and their partners - feel completely powerless. This clear, perceptive and incredibly helpful book enables women to empower themselves to not only deal with infertility but navigate the often difficult and confusing path through IVF.

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Authentic Empowerment - Personal and Professional Life ...

Personal empowerment, what does it mean to you? Achieving it is simply developing your abilities to influence events and people around you.

Taking control of your life or a particular part of your life where you want to make an impact...

Some individuals may have a sense of it more in a community or global arena. This would be organized empowerment, where they take up arms so to speak to influence a community, a local or national government; maybe address a global issue.

Personal empowerment is more intimate; not necessarily organized in the previous examples. It could be something in our lives we want to address, perhaps we think of it more as personal growth.

It might be career driven or even something of a spiritual nature. In the work force you might want to create a new you to feel better about yourself, to reach a new goal. Typically you might embellish your persona and try to play the part.

Personal empowerment is in knowing you are the person you want to be beyond the faade youve created. An example of this might be having a desire to move up into management. Sometimes it is the difference between thinking and knowing something about you.

Individuals seek empowerment resources for any number of reasons. It could be to seek career advancement; work on a failing relationship; become a better parent; or get out of debt. In medical and psychological cases you might be trying to correct a bad habit; or overcome a learning or medical disability.

Whatever your need, the result will transition you to the place you need to be to address these issues...

Personal Empowerment Is A Real Solution Unfortunately it might come off as either egocentric or maybe New Age; however it is actually a crucial element to our being. It enables us to stand up for ourselves and others. Through it we can achieve a sense of responsibility and hold ourselves accountable. It is meant to make us better individuals.

The health profession uses personal empowerment in a number of instances. There is a disability or recovery model used to implement personal empowerment. These models are used for individuals with mental illness or individuals recovering from rape or other traumatic stress.

We might not think of empowerment as being an essential part of our being but if we consider our actions and the actions of others it would be obvious to us that it is a part of all beings. We empower our children and family members; we empower our employees. It is a natural nurturing thing to do.

Labels: brain power, empowerment, Mind Power, Self-Help, Self-Improvement

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Minds Of Power: What Is Personal Empowerment?

Self empowerment implies self belief, trust, and self leadership. Being self empowered, you will KNOW you have an active role in creating the future of your dreams.

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In order to trust yourself, you must know yourself! Explore your passion, purpose, your values and priorities through your personal mission development. Find out who you are!

Then, cultivate your personal success and fulfillment by giving yourself a fertile and stable internal environment. This translates to an attitude that is:

When I was a child, my mother had a small patch of ground by the side of the house that she called a garden!?!

During the 2 years of this 'garden', I was occasionally asked to help work in it. It was a bit of a joke. The soil seemed about 95% clay, and the seeds she planted would rarely become anything more than a sprout. A few very hardy seeds and a few weeds would persist, but it was a fairly futile exercise.

I had an aunt who lived on the same street. She cultivated the soil in her yard, tilling and adding manure and fertilizer. She found out about the vegetables she planted and gave them the best conditions to encourage vibrant growth. She had a lush garden and it was a joy to see the plants thriving in it. It was even more fun to eat her fresh homemade pumpkin pie at harvest time!

The simple difference was that she offered the seeds and plants the healthy environment that encouraged what they did naturally. And that's what we want to do,... create a vibrant healthy personal environment that will encourage our self development and motivation.

These elements may be viewed as the requisites to a healthy inviting environment for self growth.

If you are serious about enjoying fresh organic goodies from your own personal growth garden... cultivate these:

What is your Self Concept telling you? Whether positive or negative, it is talking in your ear every day. Is it helping you achieve your goals?

You can wield personal power with positive self talk. There is one caveat... your subconscious power must be working with you. When the subconscious is in alignment with your highest wishes, it is supporting the same constructive ideas as your positive thinking self talk. This is powerful.

High Self Esteem is a major component of self empowerment. It births self confidence and great trust in your own abilities. It doesn't mean you have to always be right. It means you are inwardly prepared to face whatever life serves up.

When do you think your self esteem and self concept began developing? Yes, just about the time of consciousness. How do habits, attitudes, beliefs, and values impact this ongoing development?

There are three main causes of low self esteem. Fortunately building self esteem is achievable and ongoing.

Understand how your beliefs and values, and subconscious programming can be aligned by you. Yes, it comes down to you,.. it is 'self esteem self help'.

Self Motivation is at the beginning of be, do, have.

What self motivation seeds ensure you are planting SUCCESS motivation? Motivate yourself properly to start with, and you'll love your life.

Learn the necessities for success motivation and build higher with these.

These five skills are easy self help motivation abilities to acquire, and will enhance not only your self motivation, but also your success.

Think back to previous hopes and dreams, and the success you have achieved in your life. You can see that you had an underlying belief in yourself that you would be able to accomplish those particular things. Whether it was learning to ride a bike, or play a musical instrument,or graduate from university,.. whatever you have achieved, you believed that you could. You were self empowered for that pursuit.

The structure of society has often encouraged people to defer to an expert and trust them unconditionally rather than foster belief in oneself. Many of us have grown with this understanding that there are experts who will tell us how to do whatever it is we are interested in. Society has taught us that self improvement advice is forthcoming from physician's for better health, religious leader's to tell us what god to believe in, and psychiatrist's to solve our emotional and mental health problems.

Experts of course have an abundance of knowledge and may be great resources. Empowered individuals take an active role in learning, sharing thoughts and ideas with other experts, instead of glibly believing and accepting what apparent authorities promote. It may seem like a bit of work sometimes, taking primary responsibility in ones own self development. It is certainly a life change in attitude for people who have become accustomed to depending on anothers viewpoint or justification, rather than cultivating knowledge and belief in oneself. When the effort is expended to achieve self empowerment, you will find the riches that much sweeter.

By becoming more aware of our self concept, improving self esteem, and increasing self motivation, our self knowledge and confidence build. It is a natural progression to trusting ourselves and our life inspiration.

As personal leadership development unfolds, our sense of being active creative participants in life also grows. This internal state of self empowerment is a dynamic platform to move forward from in our personal development plan.

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Self Empowerment Appears Fundamental For Personal Development

The challenges that led you to this webpage can be your 'window' into discovering more about yourself and finding greater contentment and emotional well-being. Together we'll take a look at these challenges and find their hidden possibilities for creating positive change.

Our world is a complicated one! Because of all the external pressures, It is easy to lose track of ourselves and what we need.. Whether you're struggling with personal or relationship issues, I will be your objective collaborator. Together, we will discover more about the real you - your core values and strengths. You will learn how to embrace who you are and put yourself first. This is not a selfish agenda, but instead allows you to build a calm and serene inner foundation , leaving you with more to give.

My clients work on a variety of issues, but I have special interest and training in the areas of addiction (substances, gambling, sex, eating, gaming, etc.) LGBT issues, self-esteem and self-discovery.

I have offices in Kansas City and St. Joseph, Missouri, all which provide a safe, casual , and comfortable environment. I take most insurances and am also available by skype, phone, text, webcam, IM ,and email and will take emergency appointments.

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"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

Confucius (Chinese philosopher, 551 BC - 479 BC)

Much of our work is concerned with empowerment- the photo shows three participants emerging from one of learning circles in Sierra Leone, proud of their education packs and the progress that they are making. We have explained below what we mean by this term. In essence, empowerment is about having or taking more control over all aspects of your life.

Individuals: On an individual level we see empowerment as building confidence, insight and understanding, and developing personal skills, for example, being able to analyze situations and communicate more effectively with others. Being empowered presupposes some level of common sense and emotional maturity and access to appropriate information and know how; it also implies someone who cares about others and is tolerant of other's views and behaviour (within limits!)

Groups: Within a group or community, empowerment can be taken to involve building trust, co-operation and communication between members, and a prerequisite for this is that there are appropriate structures, protocols and procedures in place, with effective sanctions against those who default or abuse the system. There must be opportunities for people to meet and exchange views and opinions, and ways of recording what is agreed and done; and there must be scope for having fun and celebrating achievement.

The evidence for empowerment is often anecdotal in nature, but this is still valid, especially when set alongside quantitative data. We have listed below some possible indicators that we consider useful:

For an insight into how we put all of this into practice, see our programme for rural womens basic education in Sierra Leone. You might also like to look at some of our most recent work on empowering local people; or return to Home Page.

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The Meaning of Empowerment - Powerful Information

The human mind is complex it perceives things differently according to our beliefs and thought patterns. This unique part of our body gives us the insights and mental prowess to go through life by utilizing our own abilities to survive and adapt. But if you want to live life to the fullest then you better let your creative juices flow to come up with great ideas for self-improvement in both your personal life and career. Everyone has the capacity to be creative, as long as they dont put a limit to their capability to think and to accept new ideas from the outside. But there are certain hindrances that stop the flow of creative juices on our brain and here are some ideas on how to burst the dam and let the creative you show itself to the world. Get Rid Of Your Stress Stress is one of the hindrances in letting your creative juices flow out of you. In most cases, our problems, fears, inhibitions, physical exhaustion, or even our emotions can become a hurdle that stops our mind from thinking anything beside the problem. Stress management can help get rid of this problem and let your mind relax to boost your creativity. It also helps you focus your eyes on an object that gives you comfort or that can help you relax. You might also want to indulge in your favorite activities to help you get rid of negative thoughts that stop your brain from being creative. Expand Your Repertoire Using your own stock knowledge may not be enough to guarantee a fresh flow of creative juices to run through your head. If you want to get some good ideas then you better get out of your hiding-hole and look at your surroundings to get some good

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This was sent to me by a dear friend. I thought it was interesting enough to share with you. Best Regards Selva A theology professor was teaching about Anger; He asked his students, Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset? The students thought for a while. One of them said, because we lose our calm, we shout for that. But why shout when the other person is just next to you? asked the professor. Isnt it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you are angry? The students gave some other answers but none satisfied the professor. Finally he explained, When two people are angry at each other, their hearts psychologically distance themselves. To cover the distance, they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will shout to hear each other through that great distance. Then the professor asked, What happens when two people fall in love? They dont shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are psychologically very close. The distance between them is very small. The professor continued, When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they even get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and thats all. So next time you shout to a loved one, know that you are creating distance between your heart and that persons heart.

You may be surprised how some individuals act on certain occasions. Your integrity and response largely depend on your character and how it was honed for years. The decisions and choices you make are triggered by your background and your own created values and virtues. The way you were raised and your experiences will lead to how you relate with other people and the world as a whole. Here are some ways to build good character. 1. Define Character First of all, you have to understand the meaning of character. It is the total of traits and qualities that will define a certain individual or group of people. It describes the ethical and moral strength of the individual, as well as attributes and abilities that will ultimately correspond to their life choices. Character defines the person and his or her actions, with the possibility of these being positive on how to become a better you. Character is closely related to integrity, which is defined as consistent adherence to strict moral or ethical code. People who have integrity can be defined as complete, unimpaired and sound. Integrity, as a whole, can be defined as performing the right things for the right reasons, regardless of the conditions and circumstances. 2. On Values If you want to build good character, you have to select as set of principles and rules that you will abide by for the rest of your life. The actions you take to follow these guidelines will ultimately lead to a happy and contented life, which in turn, will reflect your positivity and support toward creating a better world and environment for everyone. You can effectively follow the ethics of a certain group or religion. You can also develop your own ideals, based on your beliefs, experiences and personal opinions.

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